


Hidden Monsters

by MiniRaven



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Monster Hunters, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Eventual Romance, Inspired By Tumblr, Inspired by Fanart, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Period-Typical Racism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-27
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-02 19:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1060871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniRaven/pseuds/MiniRaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cecil Palmer came home expecting to fight monsters for a secret organization know as Night Vale, What he doesn't expect is a fight with humans and his own personal demons.</p><p>Based on a concept by oxtrezart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Return Home

 

America - Fall 1860

“Welcome home Cecil.” Mrs. Palmer said, greeting her son at the threshold of the stylized white house.

“Hello Mother. It’s wonderful to see you again after such a long time.” Cecil said, greeting his mother with a hug and kiss. “I like what you’ve done with the place. The paintings, the roses on the wall, it gives the place such class."

“Isn’t it wonderful?” cooed his mother. “Once your uncle died in that freak dog incident, all his money became our money.” She escorted him to the old drawing room (which Cecil now assumed was the Green Room given the forest green wallpaper and fern draping precariously behind a couch. ) where they sat down for a spot of tea.

“It’s a shame though, the way your uncle died. The sheriff said his body was badly mauled and his organs were found on the other side of the local tavern. But, because of his death we were able to afford some more servants for the house,” she squealed with delight.

“Is that so?” asked Cecil. “Well, an extra pair of hands is always welcome around the house.”

“Isn’t it just wonderful,” she said as a servant came in and began preparing the tea. “I’m so glad you’re okay Cecil. You’ve been at school for so long, and in England no less. The town has become scary in your absence. As of late, people have been dying from strange and horrible accidents. So much so that I’m afraid to leave the house. First it was your uncle, then the neighbors Chad and Stacy. Such nice people, Chad and Stacy. You don’t think it’s the plague, do you darling?” she asked.

“I doubt it mother,” he said with all knowing smile.

A small tray of fresh baked cookies was placed down on the table with a pleasant clink. Cecil picked it right up and handed it back to the service. “No biscuits please,” he said. “Mother, if you’re really quite scared of catching the plague, I suggest you don’t consume any more wheat or wheat by-products.”

“Really? Why not?” her eyes widened in a way that was very unbecoming for someone her age.

“Well, wheat or wheat by-products has an affinity to turn into venomous snakes and sometimes, malevolent spirits. Horrible creatures really. They throw magnificent parties, but tend to howl at the most inconvenient times of the night, the insensitive bastards.” Mrs. Palmer’s eyes opened wide in terror. “Or that’s the rumor. It could just be the eggs. One can never be too careful,” Cecil said, trying to brush off the comment.

“My goodness I’ll have to inform the staff immediately. I don’t what rotten eggs running my lunch party.”

“Tea sir?” asked a rich oaky voice.

“Oh, yes. Thank you,” Cecil said as a pair of perfect hands placed a warm white cup in front of him. Surprised at the unfamiliar voice, he looked up at the new service.

Above him, stood a man with caramel skin, eyes as deep and terrifying as the void, and dark brown hair with waves that would make the Roman god Neptune jealous. His face was perfectly chiseled like the statue of David and his stoic face (while unemotional in appearance) beheld a hint of a warm disposition. Cecil’s heart stopped momentarily to marvel at the newest wonder of the world as his body pulsed with anticipation. All he could do was stare as his body began to feel the resurgence of the almost forgotten sickness. In that one instant, Cecil Palmer had fallen in love.

“Thank you Carlos,” said Mrs. Palmer, accepting the tea with a smile.

 _‘Carlos,’_ Cecil’s tongue slowly swam across the name as if it was a vat of the queen’s chocolate. _‘What a perfect name,’_ he thought.

“Carlos, this is my second son Cecil. You will be his manservant from now on, second only to me.”

_‘What?’_

“Of course mistress,” replied Carlos with a respectful bow.

_‘What!’_

Oh no. Oh no! This was not good at all. It was already bad enough keeping his job with the Vale a secret from his family, but to employee a manservant with such perfect hair, that was too much.

“Mother,” he turned to her in an attempt to block out radiant Carlos. “I know it’s been four years since I left for university, but I don’t need a servant. I can take care of myself.”

“Oh, don’t be silly,” she said, taking a sip of tea out of the expensive imported China, pinky out naturally. “We’re rich now. Enjoy the benefits while they last.”

“But-”

"Master Palmer,” Carlos smiled and Cecil’s hear melted like butter in the July desert. “It would be my pleasure to be of service to you. Master Palmer.”

All Cecil could do was nod and accept his curse, his beautiful, perfect curse.


	2. The Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is plot.

“Where does the trunk go, Master Palmer?”

“Just put it by the bookshelf for now,” said Cecil, trying to hide his stare behind some notes. “I’ll get to it later.”

“Very well,” replied Carlos, placing the monstrous trunk down without even breaking a sweat across his flawless brow. “Will there be anything else then?” he asked, hands by his side looking very professional despite the few strands of his perfect hair falling into his eyes.

“Some privacy, if you please,” replied Cecil pretending to be distracted with a large, thickly bound book. “And please inform the rest of the staff that they are not to enter my room without giving me prior notice. I brought some things back from abroad that require the utmost delicacy.”

“Very well, Master Palmer. I shall call you when dinner is ready,” replied Carlos as he gently closed the lightly embellished door behind him.

Cecil let out a sight of relief. Finally, he was alone. Cecil let the light of the setting sun from the large windows wash over him.  He looked around the, now cluttered, bedroom. Not much had changed since he was here last. The wood floors still welcomed him with their creeks and moans, and the empty bed, big enough for two, lay open as a restful solstice from the pains of life. What had changed, both personally and environmentally, made Cecil wary to leave his room. Cecil was surprised and grossly disturbed by the resurgence of his unnatural sickness. He had hoped all that nonsense was over when Earl Harland left his life. Apparently not.

“I’ll just have to make do until I hear from the Faceless Old Woman,” he muttered looking at his reflection in the tea dear Carlos had left for him.

“You called?” a faceless reflection appeared beside his own.

Cecil jumped and dropped the cup. The old woman snapped her fingers and the second before the cup was lost forever, it appeared in her hand. “I’d like to know what blend you use. I love this tea,” she said, placing the cup to her non-existent lips and taking a rather loud sip.

“Don’t scare me like that,” said Cecil trying to recover from the surprise.

“What for?” she asked, placing down the cup. “It’s such fun to see your reaction.”

“It’s rude,” said Cecil. The Faceless Old Woman cocked her head in confusion. Leave it to her to have no class. “Never mind that,” said Cecil. “What news have you brought from the Vale? Have they asked me to leave yet?”

“Leave?” The faceless old woman asked. “You just got here.”

“Some… unexpected complications have arisen since my arrival. I would like to request my transfer immediately,” said Cecil dancing around the question.

“You will have to fill out the proper paper work first,” she said pulling out an envelope for C-124 and handing it to Cecil. “And on the topic of requests, the Vale has discovered some feral dogs romancing the streets untethered. They have requested that you investigate further and exorcise if necessary.”

“Request?” Cecil cheekily asked.

“If you would be so kind,” she said with a smile in her voice as she laid the written order next to the tea. “A fairly standard job, for someone of your standing. Should only take a few hours at most.”

“A little late for investigating. The public is beginning to notice,” said Cecil, circling around the paper.

“We get our instructions from the City Council and do the best we can,” she replied simply.

Cecil picked up the envelop and admired the unbroken seal for the first time. It was odd to feel the course yellow paper in his hands when he was so used to the soft bleeding blue envelopes. But it was a nice odd. “Not everyone can take on the big jobs right away,” he mused.

They were silent for a moment, Cecil taking in what it meant to be on his own for the first time.

“Harland was a good man Cecil,” she said. “And both of you made great partners.”

“But we weren’t equals,” replied Cecil. “Earl was always three steps ahead of me, and I was always playing catch up. The spark we had at the beginning, it wasn’t there anymore. I had to quit. Not just for us, but for me.”

The Faceless Old Woman looked at Cecil with, what would have been, sad eyes. “Don’t die Cecil,” she said before disappearing. “I like your voice.”

Cecil smiled, a coy twinkle in his eyes. “All monsters do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I didn't introduce myself properly in the first chapter. This is my first story on ao3 and I'm super nervous.
> 
> Thank you for reading everybody. I hope you're enjoying it so far. The next two chapters will be featuring Carlos and will have a much higher word count (for those of you interested). They're already written, I just have to pick a date when to upload them.
> 
> Any comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.  
> -MR


	3. One Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos is not impressed with Master Palmer, but he becomes interested after seeing his collection of books.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit goes to oxytrezart at http://oxytrezart.tumblr.com/ for creating the AU. Check out her tumbler and I hope you enjoy the story.

Carlos was not interested in Cecil. To him, Cecil was just another white man that spouted nonsense to make himself look smart (to be fair, Cecil did have a very nice voice. It was a wonder the master didn’t speak to himself more just to enjoy the perfect tones and pitches). However, Carlos was interested in the small armada of books Cecil had brought.

Carlos had only glimpsed at the titles as he hauled them to the second floor bedroom, but the obscurity of those titles plagued his mind for the entire day. What type of information was contained in a book called _Chants to Eviscerate Your Enemies_ or _Non-bloody Bloodstone Rituals_? However, the one Carlos was quite curious about was a thick, leather bound text entitled _Necronomicon of Void Entities_.

What could it all mean? The titles sounded like something out of a horror story. Carlos desperately wanted to peek at the contents, even if most of the worlds would be too challenging for him. But, the young master had forbidden servants from entering his quarter, and a law passed in 1831 outlawed slaves the right to read. Something about, “Keeping them niggers and spics ignorant,” or so said the elder Master Palmer.

Despite the prohibition, that didn’t stop Carlos from stealing a glance at the missus’ books from time to time. They may not be the most interesting of topics, (pointless romance stories, steps on how to be the perfect wife, the significance of lace) but Carlos was able to practice reading and they kept his mind fresh with ideas (no matter how silly they may be).

Currently, by the last light of the oil lamps, he was reading about the proper way to woo a London man (a topic he would most likely never use for lack of a proper bodice). However, with the arrival of such captivating new titles, his interest in flirtatious pursuits was lacking. Instead, he opted for a mystery book that missus had purchased on whim a few days ago (a genera that was lacking in her collection).

The masters and staff had drifted off to sleep hours ago. Only at quarter to ten did Carlos muster the courage to settle down in the drawing room for a few pages of escapism. As he sat down in the chair, he heard a creak above him. Carlos waited, quietly holding the text to his chest. The last thing he wanted was to be caught and whipped. No other noise came from the second floor. Cautiously he opened the pages and began to read, ears alert just in case.

Three minutes in and Carlos was consumed in the valley of words. He fell in so deep that only the low call of the Grandfather clock roused him from meditation. Carlos closed the cover and let out a sight. Fifteen minutes of pure bliss. Worth every minute.

“Who do you think did it?” asked a low velvety voice.

Carlos spun around and was mortified to see Master Cecil staring at him.

“Good book. I don’t want to give away the ending, but for the longest time I thought it was the butler.”

“Mater Cecil,” Carlos tried to hide the book. “I’m sorry sir, did I wake up with the light?” he tried to remain collected despite the fear of being exposed.

“Oh no. I was just leaving for work.” Carlos noticed a twinge in the master’s eye. Perhaps he had pried too much. Manners told Carlos to stop asking questions, but curiously urged him to pushed onward.

“At this time of night? Wearing that?” he looked at the meat crown on his master’s head and a large bag by his side.

“Yes, well, I didn’t expect anybody to be up at this time,” said Master Cecil becoming aware that Carlos was staring at him. He began to fidget and fuss with his bag.

“What did you expect?”

“Nothing,” said Master Cecil, bolting for the front door, clearly distraught. “I just-”

A dark blur passed the house followed by a strong gust of wind and flesh crawling howling.

“What was that?” Carlos ran up behind his master.

“My work,” said Cecil, throwing away the meat crown. “Guess I won’t need this anymore.”

“Work? What type of work do you do? And what in God’s name was that?” asked Carlos, horrified at what the answer might be.

Cecil turned to Carlos, eyes sparkling with excitement. His voice hoped up half an octave as he asked, “Would you like to come and see?” as if he was a young girl asking a boy out for a play date.

Carlos held back. See his master at work? This was highly inappropriate. What type of master would invite his servant on such an errand? And what fool of a servant would accept such an offer? Carlos knew his place. He served people, dressed people, cleaned and polished. This would be his life until the day he died. He understood the expectations and accepted his station in life.

But, he was curious. Carlos was oh so very curious. For once, he had no idea what the future held for him. He felt excited at the mystery, and the energy radiating from Cecil’s smile was infectious. In one moment (one mysterious and horrifying moment) Master Cecil’s entire attitude, his demeanor, had changed, and Carlos wanted to know why. More than he feared the master’s wrath, he wanted to know why. What was out there to make his master’s voice light up like stars in the night sky? Why was Carlos drawn to the danger of the unknown? He didn’t know, but the answers were out there.

He took a breath. “All right, I’ll come with you, but we must keep this a secret from the others.”

Cecil’s face lit up like it was Christmas. “Neat!” he said, grabbing Carlos’ hand pulling him out the front door.

As they ran down the street, an idea dawned on him. The look on Cecil’s face, those books from earlier, Cecil knew what was going on. The wheat and wheat-by products, the dog attacks, he knew why all these odd things were happening. Cecil had answers.

To his surprise, Carlos was becoming very interested in his new master.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Around the 1830's laws were passed in states like Virginia, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Georgia that made it illegal and punishable by law to teach a slave to read or write outside the use of figures. Restrictions, enforcement, and punishment varied from state to state, but it was a widely acceptable law in the South where they felt it was necessary to keep their property ignorant. 
> 
> Check out this website to see one variation of the law. http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/slaveprohibit.html
> 
> For those of you who are fluent in pre-Civil War history, let me know about any inaccuracies. I'd rather know and be embarrassed than ignorant of the history and culture.
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I plan on updating on Fridays/ Saturdays, so look for the next one around 12/14. One last chapter where I actually know what I'm doing, and then after that...*flail* ... It should be... interesting....
> 
> Comments and feedback are always appreciated, and thank you for taking the time to read my story.


	4. The Opportunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos has his first encounter with a being from the Void and is offered the opportunity of a lifetime.

They were in town for less than ten minutes when the duo heard the cracking of bones and caught scent of death in the air.

“We must be close,” said Cecil, skipping ahead with childlike glee.

Carlos shook his head and took his time. He was much more cautious than Master Cecil. He looked around corners, listened for changes in sound, and analyzed any remains the creature left behind in its wake. Crates and boxes carelessly tossed to the sided and unusual prints made Carlos wary of pressing on too quickly. Remains of flesh and clothes scattered across the moonlit street like breadcrumbs, sending shivers down his spine. Carlos didn’t want to die. He quite liked working for the Palmers. It wasn’t perfect, but he liked it. Better than working in the fields.

What in the world did Master Cecil do for work and why was Carlos following his lead when all clues told him to run the other away? Madness and curiosity, that’s what.

“What are we looking for exactly, Master Palmer,” Carlos turned around but saw no trace of the man. Carlos began to panic. “Master Palmer? Maser Palmer, where are you?” He ran up and down the back ways looking for his master, the ever-putrid smell growing stronger with each turn.

He turned one last corner, ready to give up and head back to the safety of home where the most adventure he would have was stealing a roll for an afternoon snack, when he saw it. One look and he was sure it was the creature. It had to be.

It was a dog, but not like any dog he had ever seen. To begin with, it had two heads. One of its two heads was gorging itself on a lifeless brown body, while the other had all six eyes trained on Carlos. It bared it’s blood tainted fangs at him and growled liquid hate at Carlo’s insignificant existence. The second head looked up from its meal and began to growl too. It didn’t like being interrupted during meal time. Especially when it’s meal tasted like cinnamon. But this one smelled like caramel and had such perfect hair. Maybe it would taster better than the appetizer.

Carlos froze, staring at the creature with fascination and horror. He wanted to move closer, examine every hair and muscle on the animal. How was it possible to have two heads and six eyes? He wanted to know.

Carlos reached out a wanting hand, took one step closer and then two steps back. In his dumbfounded interest, he had ignored the sharp teeth that might kill him. He looked on last time, enjoying the moment of bliss, before running for his life. Bad idea. The creature howled and gave chase.

Carlos ran as fast as he could, rounding corners, up and down secret streets, knocking over rubbish, trying anything that would create more distance between him and the creature. But every time he turned around, the dog was always right behind him.

“Carlos!” a voice called to him. “This way Carlos,” said Master Cecil ducking behind a corner.

Carlos didn’t ask any questions. He ran towards his master as fast as his feet would carry him. Now was not the time to die.

Carlos tripped over a small stone and tumbled face first into the main road. He turned back. The creature gave a victory howl and barreled towards its helpless pray.

“Get down!” yelled Cecil.

The dog leapt toward him and Carlos buried his head in his arms. He heard chanting and then a pale violet light flashed above him, and then silence. Hesitantly, he peaked out and saw the creature frozen in a pale purple bubble. One head was froze in place, permanently glaring at its lost pray while the other head was thrashing about at the edge of the bubble, it’s muzzle peaking outside the bubble like a curious mole.

“Are you okay?” Master Cecil bent down and offered his hand.

Remember his manners (what few he hadn’t broken) Carlos refused the hand and pushed himself up. “What is that?” he asked.

Cecil looked disappointed, but answered the question. “Feral dog. Revolting creature. They attack people and like to scrawl hideous words on public property. A temporary barrier was the only way I could think of containing it without a partner. You see the circle of stones I placed on the ground? A simple incantation activates the stones and stops whatever monster is inside from moving. Very effective, but it’s more effective if all the stones are in their proper place and not slightly displaced to the left because somebody tripped over it.”

Carlo’s face flushed crimson beneath his dark skin. “Terribly sorry about that, Master Cecil.”

“It’s all right.” Did Master Cecil just hide a smile? “It will just be a little bit harder to exorcise them this way. Give me a moment, will you?” he said, focusing on the creature. Cecil closed his eyes and began to chant in a language Carlos didn’t understand.

Carlos watched in awe as Master Cecil’s body began to glow with a purple hue. The chant grew louder and the glow grew brighter. The dog thrashed around in the bubble trying to break free. Cecil quickened the pace of the chant. The seal around the mouth faltered, and the dog wrestled one of its heads outside the barrier. It began to bark and growl and thrash some more. Cecil’s face contorted as he tried to control the creature and send it back to whence it came.

Carlos watched helplessly from the side. Something was wrong. The bubble around the creature was shrinking. Cecil was struggling to maintain the chant. Sweat crossed his creased brow. Cecil was losing.

Carlos needed to do something, anything, to help. But what? He spotted the bag from earlier and began digging through its contents. He pulled out a small vial of yellow liquid and threw it at the beast. He hoped to God that it did something useful.

The vial broke on contact and covered the creature’s head with the liquid. The creature howled in anguish as the bubble broke. Cecil and the creature collapsed to the ground, both weakened by the ordeal.

The beast tried to get up, but the side covered in yellow could only manage a pitiful twitch every few seconds. Cecil groaned and Carlos ran over to his master. He sat Cecil up gently and brushed off the debris. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“I need to finish the spell,” groaned Cecil. Carlos steadied his master while Cecil mustered up enough breath to finish the job. Cecil looked straight at the feral dog and spoke the last two phrases, sealing the deal.

The air and stone ripped apart as an almond shaped void opened beneath the beast. The creature began to panic and pawed the edge, trying to escape, but was pulled into the void with a satisfying slurp. Seconds later, the void spat out a brown sack and stitched itself closed, leaving no trace of the incident.

They sat beside each other, each breathing heavily in the cool evening air. Carlos, trying to come to terms with what he had just witnessed (none of the other slaves would his believe his story in a million years) and Cecil attempting to figure out what to say next without scaring off his manservant.

 “So,” Cecil started hesitantly. “What did you think of your first monster hunt?”

Carlos though for a moment before answering. “Horrifying, exhilarating, and intriguing,” he surmised.

“So…  you liked it?” Cecil offered hesitantly.

Carlos would not use such a simple verb to describe the entire affair, but if he had to sum up the entire experience in one word, “like” would be an apt description.  Carlos nodded in agreement and Cecil’s smile grew ten times brighter. Words poured out of his mouth like a broken sink.

“Oh thank goodness, I’m so glad you liked it. I was so afraid you’d hate it, and then you would think I’m crazy, and then you would hate me, and then you wouldn’t like me, and then you wouldn’t talk to me, and-” Cecil gasped and Carlos saw a spark he would soon learn to dread.

“You should become a monster hunter too!”

“What?”

“Yes! What a great idea. And then we could fight monsters together. Wouldn’t that be just neat?”

Carlos tried to pull out fast. “But I don’t know the first thing about fighting monster.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll teach you. Besides, you already have a natural affinity. You knew to pick the stunning potion instead of the coal shovel, or the wolfsbane, or the- ”

“That was just pure luck. Anybody could do that.”

Cecil’s smile disappeared. His shoulders sank like a disappointed child. “You mean you don’t want to work with me?”

Carlos was taken aback. Cecil could be quite the intelligent gentleman if he wanted to, but almost every single thing his master had said that night bordered on absurdity. It wasn’t Carlos’s place to be authoritative, but someone had to ground Master Cecil.

“It’s not that I don’t want to. I just can’t. I have duties to perform. Expectations that I am upheld to. You may have forgotten in your years overseas, but slaves here are severely punished if they do not follow orders from their masters. I may not work in the field, but I still see whippings and beatings of slaves every day and it’s something I’d like to avoid.

“Besides, the law prohibits me from reading or any sort of learning. You know that Master Palmer. The law has been in effect for almost thirty years.”

Cecil looked down, depressed, and Carlos let out an exhausted sight.

He wanted to. Carlos really wanted to become a monster hunter. Anything was better than being a slave. But he could get into a lot of trouble for even attempting such a feat, not to mention everyone else he worked with could be subject to harsh discipline for his actions. And with the current temperament around slaves (they way white women and children cringed when a negro passed them on the street, the increased beatings out of fear, the new laws and hurtful words from politicians) now was not the time to try such something so selfish.

“I could teach you as you work,” Cecil said, with a hint of hope in his voice. “I could leave the books open for you to read. You could read my entire collection if you want.”

Carlos tried to diffuse the possibility.  “Master Palmer-”

“And you’re my valet, right? “ His voice was growing in excitement. “You’re supposed to escort me wherever I go. That includes assignments like this one, right?”

“Master Palmer.”

“We’re not breaking the law,” Cecil insisted, elated at the possibility. “I’m not teaching you how to read or selling you books.”

“Master Palmer!” Carlo’s stern voice snapped Cecil out of the fantasy.

 “I’m sorry Carlos. I just thought that we could-” he trailed off and sank down in a self-loathing ball.

Carlos tried to stay steadfast in his convictions, but Master Cecil wasn’t making this decision any easier. Carlos asked himself one last time, was the time and dedication required in learning the new skill worth the reproductions, not only to himself, but to the others as well? Talk of war was on the lips of white men, and they would use any excuse to empower themselves over the colored help. Was it worth the risk?

 “I can read _any_ of your books?” Carlos finally asked.

Cecil looked up and nodded. “And I’ll even buy some more if you like.”

“And I won’t get in trouble. You won’t tell anyone?”

Cecil nodded. “I’ll take the secret to the grave with me.”

“We’ll have to be very careful around the missus.”

“Nobody will suspect a thing.”

“What’s in it for you?” he asked. Carlos was getting a lot out of this deal. There had to be some type of motivation behind the generous offer. Some sort of catch.

Cecil blushed and began to play with his hands. “You,” he muttered. “I want you to be my partner. My _monster_ fighting partner, really. I mean, I can do it myself, but it’s so much easier with a partner and… Well, you saw how I fared today. I’m usually much better than that. But I don’t have a partner currently, and I thought, you seem interested in and talented at the art, so- ”

“I’ll do it.”

Cecil stopped talking. “What?” he asked.

“I’ll do it. I’ll become your partner and help you fight monsters.”

The sparkle was back in his eye and his pure voice rang with delight. “Oh Carlos! Perfect Carlos, you have no idea what this means to me.”

 _‘I think I’m starting to get the idea,’_ thought Carlos as he watches his master squeal with excitement. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And...... I am 10 days late. Sorry guys. I've been working a lot lately and working on my cosplays for the upcoming anime conventions. I'm so excited! *squee* Almost finished with the one and then I can start on the other.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter and it was worth the wait! <3


End file.
